Definition of ALGEBRA

algebra

Meanings

Plural: algebras

Noun

  • the mathematics of generalized arithmetical operations
  • Elementary algebra: A system for representing and manipulating unknown quantities (variables) in equations.
  • Abstract algebra: A broad field of study in modern mathematics (often mentioned alongside analysis) loosely characterized by its concern for abstraction and symmetry, dealing with the behavior, classification, and application of a large class of objects (called algebraic structures) and the maps between them (called, most generally, morphisms).
  • Any of several objects of study in Algebra
  • A universal algebra.
  • Any of several objects of study in Algebra
  • An algebraic structure consisting of a module over a commutative ring (or a vector space over a field) along with an additional binary operation that is bilinear over module (or vector) addition and scalar multiplication.
  • A collection of subsets of a given set, such that this collection contains the empty set, and the collection is closed under unions and complements (and thereby also under intersections and differences).
  • A system or process (especially one that is complex or convoluted) that substitutes one thing for another, or uses signs or symbols to represent concepts or ideas.
  • The surgical treatment of a dislocated or fractured bone. Also (countable): a dislocation or fracture.

Origin / Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin algebra, from the Arabic word الْجَبْر (al-jabr, “reunion, resetting of broken parts”) in the title of al-Khwarizmi's influential work الْكِتَاب الْمُخْتَصَر فِي حِسَاب الْجَبْر وَالْمُقَابَلَة (al-kitāb al-muḵtaṣar fī ḥisāb al-jabr wa-l-muqābala, “The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and Balancing”).

Synonyms

algebra of sets, algebra over a field, algebra over a ring, field of sets

Scrabble Score: 10

algebra is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
algebra is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
algebra is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 13

algebra is a valid Words With Friends word